The West Australian government says rising concerns for Aboriginal heritage in the state's north will not derail a landmark hydrogen plant.
Chemical company Yara today announced construction of its green hydrogen plant on the Burrup peninsula near Karratha would start in the coming weeks, after a positive final investment decision.
It is understood to be one of the first facilities in the world to receive and use green hydrogen molecules to produce green ammonia, which is commonly used to produce agricultural fertilisers.
The highly industrialised area has been subject to heavy scrutiny by some traditional owners who say companies operating on the peninsula will destroy Aboriginal heritage sites such as ancient rock art.
The McGowan government has committed $160 million to help develop the state's renewable hydrogen industry, which is a key pillar of the government's climate policy.
This week the Commonwealth appointed an independent reporter to look into claims significant Aboriginal sites are being threatened by continued development.
However, WA Regional Development and Hydrogen Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the project would go ahead as planned.
"I don't think [concerns] are linked to the green hydrogen process," she said.
"This project is not a project that increases risk to rock art in any way shape or form."
Traditional owners, represented by the Save Our Songlines group, had raised concerns about "visual desecration" caused by a proposed bank of solar panels connected to the Yara Pilbara Hydrogen Plant, close to where rangers conduct cultural tours.
Ms MacTiernan said the state government would work with the federal counterparts, and felt the visual consequences of solar power had to be balanced with the benefits of green energy.
"We absolutely understand what the federal government are doing. All of these things are always a trade off," she said.
"There is no doubt solar panels have an impact but our view is, that is a far more manageable impact than perhaps other industrial uses. Everyone in this country and the planet has a role in facilitating this change to green energy."
Yara still confident
Yara Pilbara manager Laurent Trost said the appointment of a federal reporter would not hinder the plant's progress.
"We hope in the coming weeks that construction will start, and we hope that by early 2024 we will have the first molecules of green hydrogen feeding our ammonia plant," he said.
Mr Trost said the company had engaged with traditional owners through the Murjuga Aboriginal Corporation [MAC], the same group backed by both state and federal governments as the group that speaks for most of the Aboriginal people in the area.
"We have worked intensively with MAC. We guaranteed that the rock art identified in this place will be protected, isolated with full access to the traditional owners," he said.
"We are just borrowing this land for a while, in the long history of this peninsula and we will try to do our best to guarantee that when we leave we will give back the land in the shape we received it."
